I’ve been keeping track of coverage on climate change in the UK press and hope to capture some of my thoughts on news that resonates with the Big Green Challenge here.

Good to see the clear message coming through in today’s Guardian that the UK public needs to be given incentives if it is to really begin to take action on climate change. The Guardian has today launched The Green Living Awards with UnLtd – the Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs (and incidentally our delivery partner for the Big Green Challenge). They are offering people taking action against climate changes small grants from a £100,000 pot. They’ve got two excellent case studies:

• Water Power Enterprises are going to use weirs that were built across British rivers in the 18th and 19th centuries to control water flow and drive wheels to generate hydroelectricity.
• Walkit.com provides customised maps and walking route instructions, as well as information on calories burned, carbon dioxide avoided and distance travelled – all in a bid to encourage people to walk rather than drive.

Elsewhere in the paper, Rosie Boycott refers to the fact that by 2015 all new housing in Britain is supposed to be carbon zero. Right now, only 2% of new builds reach this target. She suggests that homeowners who are trying to be green need to be given the same sort of tax-breaks as drivers of low-emission vehicles are given, if an appetite for green-living is to really take hold.

The Big Green Challenge is aiming to do all this on a much larger scale, incentivising whole communities rather than individuals to come up with the innovative solutions we’ll need to tackle climate change – the lion’s share of £1m being the carrot at the end of the stick. Together all these initiatives promises something quite powerful – to drive ordinary people to come up with the solutions that are evading government and scientists.